Column | Day trip: In Shiprock, the road’s the thing

By Jarvis Williams

Over the weekend, I made a routine trip that most folks from Kayenta make every weekend. We went to Farmington. If you call the Navajo Nation home, we all carry a similar story of making a weekend day trip to a bordertown like Flagstaff, Page, Farmington, or Gallup.

Years ago, the Kayenta Township conducted a small survey among the townsfolks to gather information on their spending habits when they make a trip to a bordertown. The survey asked which town they prefer, the reason for making the trip, other items planned while there, and how much they usually spend.

For most, like myself, the information was what we thought, and maybe be a bit of a surprise to see how much we spent while there. In summary, the survey provided a snapshot of weekend spending habits and was presented to the Township Commission. Additionally, I gave the information to a group in Shonto, and the Navajo Nation economist was in attendance.

His ears held on to my mentioning that $.80 of every $1 made on the Navajo Nation is spent off the Nation. I had gathered that tidbit of information from an economic development report that he had developed.

The survey conducted pretty much reaffirmed that statement. Navajo folks spend a lot of money while visiting the bordertowns on a day trip. Visiting folks might have one reason to visit but end up doing a few things while there, such as watching a movie, grocery shopping, picking up auto parts, or sitting down at one of the restaurants.

The survey revealed that in one trip, most respondents said they spent $600 or more while visiting for a day. It was good information at the time, and we need to update with a new survey. The survey aimed to gather information for the commission to consider what it can bring to Kayenta to keep some of those dollars.

Since then, the town of Kayenta, gained a movie theater, a recreation park, a Starbucks coffee shop, and an auto parts store. But also lost a couple of restaurants, and the movie theater closed during the Covid shutdown. Still more work to do.

I mentioned my weekend day trip to highlight a few things. One was to mention that the road from the state line to Shiprock still needs replacing, and New Mexico Rep. Anthony Allison is the elected voice for that area. He mentioned that road funds to fix the road are allocated but need a contractor to bid for the project, or it will be delayed till next year.

NECA should submit its bid. While the board struggles over the hiring and rehiring of its top management, the go-getters should submit their bid to replace the road from the state line to Shiprock. We should have Navajos fixing Navajo roads since we have a Navajo state representative who has worked to allocate those funds for road replacement.

Therefore, if you are a frequent traveler on the road, we need to encourage Allison to continue working to find a contractor called NECA. If you know the contractor, then point them in the direction of Allison.

The second item is that the Begay Indian Market needs to be reopened. I do not know why it is not operating, but the roadside sellers are a safety concern for everyone driving through there. It makes me wonder which entity would be liable if someone got hurt. Would it be the state of New Mexico? The Navajo Nation? The Shiprock Chapter? Most likely, whoever has the deepest pockets is my guess.

Council Delegate Eugenia Charles-Newton is the representative for Shiprock and the Law and Order chairwoman. She should be the first to recognize the unsafe situation created by the continued closure of the Begay Indian Market.

The Begay Indian Market was always a nice stopping point before making the trip to Farmington. I imagine I am not the only one thinking that the marketplace needs to be reopened. Sellers are losing out on selling opportunities, and buyers are missing out on the shopping opportunity.

The third and final item to mention is tied to roadside food sellers. On my way to Farmington, we stopped at a food seller in Red Mesa. The seller was outside the right of way, so there was no danger from oncoming traffic, and they served the best frybread. You should try it and decide for yourself. That frybread was good, and the Spam sandwich with all the fixings was even better.

Maybe the nice spring day with no wind made the food extremely tasty, or maybe it was just good frybread. Either way, I encourage you to visit your favorite food stand and get some good frybread. We should not diminish the value of good roadside food. The food is made to order, has short lines, and is not drive-thru food. Plus, you are supporting local businesses.

One more thing to mention before I end this column. When I drive to Farmington, I look for the working stack from Four Corners Power Plant. I know the Navajo Nation is making money if the stack is blowing steam. The miners and power plant workers are making money, and nothing is wrong with that. The state of New Mexico is making money with all that oil activity down south, so why try to stop the Navajo Nation from making its own money? Families have a better quality of life with that income. Let’s keep that going. That is why we elected President Nygren.

The Nation did its part to save the world when NGS and Kayenta Mine closed. Let the rest of the world do its part. We have a Navajo Nation to care for, which costs money.

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